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KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
Sophomore guard Devonte' Graham smiles early in the game against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks beat the Sooners 76-72.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
Devonte' Graham emerges as leader for Jayhawks
EVANRIGGS
@EvanRiggsUDK
Norman, Okla — Seven years ago, the Kansas Jayhawks were faced with a possible conference altering road game against the Oklahoma Sooners. In that game, then-junior guard Sherron Collins carried the Jayhawks with 26 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Fast-forward seven years, and it was another No. 4 that carried the Jayhawks. With the college basketball world talking about Oklahoma senior Buddy Hield, Kansas sophomore Devonte' Graham won the individual battle, and, as a result, Kansas won the game.
Graham's career high 27 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc was
just enough to give No. 4 Kansas a 76-72 road win over No.3 Oklahoma.
"It was big time," junior forward Landen Lucas said of Graham's performance. "He was a man today. He carried the team. We all just tried to do our part and he finished it for us."
With 3:18 remaining in the second half, junior guard Frank Mason III fouled Oklahoma junior guard Jordan Woodard on a made three-pointer. After Woodard converted the free throw, the Sooners took a 69-66 lead. That foul was Mason's fifth, as he was forced to exit the game.
"I went up and told him
Without their floor general, the odds were stacked against the Jayhawks. But Graham took it upon himself to ensure his team didn't leave Norman without a win.
(Mason) 'I got you,'" Graham said. "I've just got to put the team on my back now."
In the last three minutes of the game, Graham scored eight of the Jayhawks' 10 points, including two three-pointers, which were arguably the two biggest shots in the game.
"It's big," Graham said of his late shots. "I just try and enjoy the moment like our coaches tell us. When you're on this big of a stage, going out there and having fun is key."
Although the late game heroics stand out, Graham was consistent for the Jayhawks throughout.
He sparked the Jayhawks hot start with seven of their first 20 points when they built a 20-6 lead. In the second half, every time the Sooners were going for the knockout blow, Graham
With the Jayhawks down 57-52 and just over eight minutes remaining, Graham knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to three. Then, after a Mason steal, Graham assisted on junior Brannen Greene's layup to pull the Jayhawks within one.
punched back and kept the Jayhawks close.
Just three minutes later, the Sooners were once again threatening to put some distance between themselves and the Jayhawks. After Hield hit a three-pointer that sent Lloyd Noble Center into a frenzy, Graham responded with his own personal 5-0 run to put the Jayhawks up 64-62.
"He played great," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said of Graham. "He made big plays when they needed them, especially when
we had a bit of a lead and couldn't get a stop."
Even though Graham was the leading scorer in the game, he was also the guy forced to work the hardest on defense as the primary defender on Hield.
LANDEN LUCAS junior forward
Hield did score 24 points, but it was on just 5-of-15 shooting. In the first half, Graham played a big role in holding Hield without a field goal, which was the first time he'd failed to
make a shot from the floor in a half all season.
"He didn't get tired," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "That doesn't seem possible to me. He did a great job on Buddy (Hield). Then for him to be our best player offensively, by far, and make about two or three plays down the stretch. I think he grew up a bit today."
For weeks, Self has said Graham needs to be the Jayhawk's vocal leader because that's his personality. On Saturday, Graham was able to assert himself when the Jayhawks needed him most in the biggest game of their season.
"There's a lot of players out there that are really good but they may not have the 'it' factor," Self said. "(Graham has) got that factor walking around campus everyday with his teammates."
GAMER FROM PAGE 1
Instead, it was the man defending him, Graham, who lit up the scoreboard.
"All the stuff [Graham] did today was big time," junior forward Landen Lucas said. "He was a man today. He carried the team."
Graham knocked down three three-point shots in the first half, letting out a yell after each one. Senior forward Perry Ellis added 10 points on 2-of-2 shooting from distance, and the Jayhawks seemed poised to build up a big advantage.
However, foul problems kept the lead within 10 for most of the period. The Jayhawks committed 14 fouls in the first half; five different players had two or three fouls as the game went to break.
"We know we're going to get a tough whistle on the road sometimes, but I felt like they called it fair," Lucas said.
The second half was dramatically different. Oklahoma knocked down two of its first three shots to start the half, both of which were threes. The Sooners
took the lead on the second three, which was Hield's first basket of the game.
Lloyd Noble Center roared to life. The Sooners kept battling and quickly found themselves a couple of baskets ahead at the midway point in the second half.
["We] kept scratching on a night where we weren't making shots," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said.
For Kansas, the most notable drop off in the second half came in three-point shooting. After starting the game 6-of-10 from three,
the Jayhawks made just one of their next 10 from distance, many of which were wide open.
But Graham, the hero of the first half, kept Kansas in the game with a barrage of offense from all over the court. After hitting a three to put Kansas up two late in the game, he pounded his chest three times, staring down at the other end of the court.
His role would get even bigger as the game went on. With just over three minutes to play, Mason would foul out of the game, giving
up a four-point play.
However, there wasn't a moment of panic. Graham walked over to Mason and told him it was all under control. Junior guard Wayne Selden Jr. recounted the conversation being quick and to the point.
"DTae told [Mason]
he's got him," Selden said.
["And] he did."
Graham backed up the talk, knocking down two three-point shots and hitting a pair at the line to ice the game. He scored eight points in the last three minutes of the game, as the Jayhawks held on.
"With the lead, we couldn't get a stop or two," Kruger said. "Graham of course was great during that stretch."
With the win, Kansas moved into a tie for first place in the Big 12 alongside West Virginia, who won its game earlier in the day. The team is now 3-3 in Big 12 play away from Allen Fieldhouse, with road games at Texas, Baylor and Kansas State remaining.
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